As a former Vault Dweller, Marcus' knowledge on the relative value and availability of goods in the world is limited.

So with that in mind, can I make a Knowledge check or consult with someone to find the following information?

What kind of boat would we be most likely to find and how much would it be worth?

Some of the lighter materials to carry for their value is various medical supplies like the drugs Marcus is currently carrying. I have no problem using those as part of the trade but do they have any more they can spare for trading?

Functioning electronics could pull some decent prices and be lightweight enough to carry. Do they have anything like that available? Oooh, maybe a mobile robot that can handle its own propulsion.

Brahmin could work, especially if they don't mind us trading the Brahmin itself as part of the trade.

What is the quality of the water at Tarrytown? Would fresh, clean water be a valuable trading commodity, or do they already have a method for getting water there?

How fast could a boat be built? We've got to leave like tomorrow, right?

As the guy who hasn't played the games, I'm fuzzy on what's valuable and how common things like boats are. Are motorized boats effectively priceless? The ferrymen sure take the protection of theirs seriously.

If someone would like to look up the construction time for a fanboat, i'd be grateful. As to boats being common? Rowing boats, yes. Anything with a motor, hell no. Rarer than diamonds. The EMP from the warhead that struck Queens fried everything within about 20 miles.

That's everything as far north as Yonkers, east as far as Brentwood, west across Manhattan as far as Jersey City and Englewood and south across the whole god-damn bay. That's why the stuff from any place that was EMP-shielded is so valuable. It still works.

The mirelurk hunters had skiffs for fishing and trade. Nothing else.

Logged

VAO Control; Crafty Freelancer; Freethinker

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

If someone would like to look up the construction time for a fanboat, i'd be grateful.

Real life, I don't know, but I can look up the Spycraft rules for it.

The closest analog in the book to a fanboat would be a speedboat (page 242) so I am using those stats as a basis for this boat.

Vehicle

Size

Comp

Ski boat/speedboat

L (2 ×4, D 2 ft.)

20/+1

Building a boat would be an application of Mechanics/Build with a synergy from Drive or Science (Fabrication). Build is listed as a Complex Task requiring 2 x Item Caliber successes, so in this case it would require 2 challenges to complete.

Per page 139, the DC of the check would be 20, determined by the items complexity.

The time and cost required per check is based on the Project Investment (Medium) values. My origin ability allows us to reduce the DC by 5 for purposes of determining Project Investment. Using the effective DC as 15, that comes to 1 hour and $100 per check. Since this is a large item, those values are doubled.

The net result:For us to build a fanboat it would require a Mechanics/Build complex task at DC 20 and 2 challenges. It would take 2 hours and cost $200 per check.

Our mechanic (Alice, duh), has +10 Mechanics and would benefit from an additional +1 Synergy bonus from 6 ranks in Science Fabrication. At +11, we're looking at needing 4 checks on average so a ballpark figure of 8 hours and $800 would be expected.

Edit:Just realized that Alice has Jury Rig II which cuts the Project Investment cost in half, so it would be 2 hours and $100 per check and an estimated 8 hours $400 for the whole project.

Can Build checks benefit from a Take 10? Hondo unfortunately has nothing to offer in terms of helping build, other than "hold this panel steady while I weld it"-style labor. Once it's done, however, if we declare it Hondo's Boat then it benefits from his Durability knack and automatically gains the tough I quality. So there's that, at least.

If this can be done overnight (and if Alice can take 10, then it can be done in half the night), then let's get crackin'. However, this also lines up another important question: Anybody know how to handle a motorboat? That's Drive, right? 'Cuz we're vault dwellers and shit. We don't drive.

As to the issue of driving it, Marcus has no clue. He's never had to drive anything in his life. So far, every self propelled thing in the world that he has ever ridden in has crashed.

So yes, finding a pilot would be of paramount importance.

A couple of other considerations. We would need to procure the materials and build this near the water unless we want to carry it all the way from here to there. We may be able to purchase the stuff we need from Tarrytown since they seem to salvage everything from the surrounding areas already.

Also, fuel. We may be able to make the boat, but we still need gasoline to run it. Unless we want to put a big ol' set of bicycle wheels attached to an electric generator and put Hondo to work.

Carrying over a mile or two to the waterside. Through blocked streets, whilst being attacked by hostile wildlife and roaming raider parties.

We can also see about scavenging some stuff along the way. There is no need to carry an 80lb motor two miles when we can get a 40lb motor half way there, or closer to the water. (There are plenty of buildings with elevators near the water.)